Chapter Four: Duel with a Parasite Member

Blade regained consciousness when she heard a metal clank. Then, a man holding a set of dresses entered.  He unlocked her cell and threw it to her. 

She has no strength anymore to ask what it is for. She had already wasted her energy punching and kicking the wall after Lorcan offered her to be her whore. She felt disgusted. Her blood is still boiling just thinking of it.

"Are you calm now?" Victorine whispered, wearing her usual grin, as they walked to the bathing area. "It seemed like Lorcan hit your ego so hard."

"My blood is still boiling, Victorine, so if you mention his name again, I will break your mouth." Blade threatened.

 Just hearing his name made her tremble in anger.  

Victorine laughed, which made other people turn their heads to her, but she never spoke again. They just continued walking until they arrived at the bathing area.

Blade's brow creased as she roamed her eyes over the place. Their bathing area wasn't a bathroom, but a spring.  The water is fresh and clean. Actually, it's cleaner than the pool they have in their pack.  Blade felt insulted again. Lorcan really had a plan to brainwash them by showing off his luxury.

"Damn it! Lorcan! If I escape, I will turn this spring into a river of blood!"  Blade murmured with fury as she kicked the water angrily.

"C'mon, Blade! This spring has nothing to do with your anger towards Lorcan! Dumb shit!" Victorine complained after she got water in her nose when Blade splashed the water. 

Blade then realized how pathetic she was for showing her affected side. She's so dumb for losing her cool. To ease her anger, she just sank herself into the cold water and calmed herself.

Blade should not act so recklessly in the territory of her enemy. She closed her eyes and remained underwater for a minute, thinking of a possible way to deal with her enemies.

She and Victorine then changed into their new clothes in a small cave beside the spring after taking a bath. When Blade was walking to the exit, she noticed a large chunk of stone covering a hole. In curiosity, she walked towards it and investigated it. It didn't take her long to realize that it might be an escape hole. Her heart thumped with excitement and thrill. Blade's hope rose as she discovered an escape route. Her instinct told her so. She can finally go outside. Her fist clenched as her heart abnormally palpitated. Blade's corner lips are elevated. She quickly left and walked away.

She should keep it a secret from everyone.

"Oi, captain bitch! What are you doing there? Move your ass and return quickly!"  A muscled woman shouted and gestured her hand at her mockingly. Blade realized that her face was familiar. She was with Lorcan when they ambushed her that night.

"C'mon, move quickly! I have something more significant to do than assist you!" 

Blade sneered. "Assisting, my ass!"

The woman, who seemed older than her, spanked her ass. Blade tried to kick her while gritting her teeth. But the woman avoided her attack and laughed amusingly.

"What the heck is your problem?!"

"Whoa! So hot-headed! But I like your reflexes!"

Victorine quickly grabbed her and stopped her from attacking the woman. Victorine smiled and bowed awkwardly at the woman. "I apologize, Miss Medina! She's not feeling well!"

The woman, Medina, pouted her mouth. "Is that so? But her body seemed well. "

"But her brain is not," Victorine laughed awkwardly, and quickly covered Blade's mouth when she attempted to speak.  She stepped backward. "We will return to our cell, Miss! Thank you for the new set of clothes! Bye! Ciao!" 

Victorine grabbed Blade away while she was resisting. Surprisingly, Victorine's strength is no joke. She could grab her with only her right hand, which surprised Blade. She thought Victorine was just a dumb human being, but looking at the muscles bulging out from her arms, Blade realized that Victorine is strong. Her anger towards Medina disappeared, and her curiosity about Victorine surfaced.

Using her right hand, she tried to punch Victorine with all her might, but Victorine quickly caught her punch. Blade did not stop and continued attacking Victorine. Surprisingly, Victorine countered her. Blade felt an inconsiderable thrill. 

"What the heck, Blade?!" Victorine. complained, avoiding her kick.

Blad stopped and smiled at her. She could see Victorine shivering from her smile. "You are strong. Who are you?!"

Victorine's brow creased as if she had just heard something crazy and insulting. "Yes! I am strong! Why? What do you think of me? Weak? "

"Yes, you look dumb," Blade spoke nonchalantly.

"Fuck you. If I wasn't strong, Parasite would not let me stay here. "

Blade's left brow raised, as if she was enlightened. "You've got a point."

Victorine shook her head in disbelief. "So you thought I was weak all this time. In any case, I am strong." And then grabbed her hand with full force to continue. If Blade's reflexes were not that fast, she would have already lost her balance and been lying on the ground. Her feet dug into the ground to stop Victorine.

"Stop!" Victorine shouted when Blade tried to twist her arms. Blade immediately let go of her arms. "Gosh Blade, you're really hot-tempered!"

"C'mon, let's fight!" 

"No, Blade. If we fight here, we will be suspended for weeks. No bathing. No training. No strolling. Only 1 meal a day! Sucks!"

After learning the consequences of breaking the rules, Blade immediately shut her mouth and regained her composure. No matter how much it angers her, she's still in her enemy's territory. She has to obey their rules.

She and Victorine were able to return to their cells without any incident. Blade was already used to the curious and mocking stares of the people. When they returned, she remembered the hole she had seen in the cave. She silently planned how she was going to discover if there was really hope in that hole or if it was just a trap set on her. She has to be alerted. The Parasite was not that dumb. 

The next morning,  she was awoken by a loud noise. She immediately got up and tried to overhear what the commotion was all about. Her eyes landed on Victorine's, who was just peacefully sleeping, and completely unbothered. 

"Victorine, you motherfucker! Wake up!" 

Victorine quickly got up and started panicking. She held the bars with her almost-bulged-out eyes, and seemed in a state of shock.

"What happened?!" 

"Did you not hear the voices outside?! There seems to be a commotion outside!"

Victorine threw her a hostile glare. "Is that all? I thought something dangerous was happening! Fucker!  You made me panic!" She sat again while her expression remained dark. 

Blade just smirked, seeing her gloomy expression. Later on, when a guard served them breakfast, she requested a stroll. Victorine refused to go with her and continued sleeping. When Blade finally got out, she discovered there was a duel going on.

Blade sipped her coffee while watching her co-prisoner having a fight with a parasite member. One of the main members of  Parasite, Medina, played the role of referee. To avoid death and fatal injuries, they are required to fight with their human forms solely. No one should shift into wolf mode during the battle.  

Blade continued watching while leaning on a tree trunk. It is not long before the battle is won by one of the parasite members.

"Bernadette? What are you doing here?" She heard Medina ask.

"There is someone I want to duel with. I have been curious about her since the day she set foot on our territory. She's been gaining a lot of attention. I am just wondering..."

"Oh? You want a duel? Okay! Let's settle this right away! So, who do you want to duel with?"

"She's a captive."

"Oho, this is new! A main member of Parasite wants to duel with a captive! Who is it?!"

Blade was about to leave the area when she felt her stomach grumbling. But she halted when she heard someone mention her name.

"I want to have a duel with the Captain of Greenstone, Blade Reinhardt!"

Suddenly, all of the attention and curious eyes land on her. She stopped midway as she realized what had just happened. Her dull expression had changed into a devilish one. That's right. She's been waiting for this. She wants some thrills.

"Oh! Miss Reinhardt is here as well! What a coincidence!" Medina yelled in surprise.

Blade's face twitched. "Coincidence, my ass..."

"So what are your decisions, Miss Reinhardt? Do you accept Bernadette's challenge?"

Blade sneered and walked toward the ring with confidence. "That's bullshit. Who doesn't want a duel?"

She took off her jacket and threw it on someone she had just passed. She hopped onto the ring. She immediately saw the one who had requested a fight with her. She has bangs and long black hair. 

Blade witnessed Bernadette's exciting smile. Compared to Suzaine, who's provocative, Bernadette is a confident one. Her eyes are just full of curiosity. It may be the one that drives her to battle with herself.

"Hi, I'm Bernadette."

"Blade."

"I'm just curious because senior Suzaine is still not fully healed. She's strong, so I wonder how you managed to injure her."

Blade smirked. "So what kind of fight or moves do you want me to pull out? A move similar to how I usually fight, or a move similar to how I injured your senior?"

Bernadette laughed while shaking her head. "Gosh, your tongue is really sharp. It's not surprising to know that you caught our attention. Now, why don't we start now?" Bernadette posed in a fighting posture.

"Let's end this quickly, mate..."

And so, the fight begins with Bernadette's first attack. Blade barely avoided it, but she managed to throw a punch at her. Bernadette was hit on the bridge of her nose. But she continued attacking despite the blood dripping down her nose. She just smiled at her like a maniac. Blade felt an inconsiderable thrill at fighting her. Both of them grin at the tension they've created for each other.

People began cheering. Their fight continued. Blade winced after Bernadette successfully slammed her hand to her ribs after throwing a brief feint. She recoiled from the pain. Both of them were already suffering from injuries. Bernadette took advantage of her aching ribs and kept attacking her weakness. Blade felt her ribs break. Bernadette is fast, but compared to Suzaine, she lacked strength and force. But Bernadette is aware of her weakness, and just keeps attacking her at her weak point. Blade knelt and blood splattered on the floor after Bernadette managed to kick her in her stomach. People got wilder. 

"Are you okay?" Bernadette's asked with a victorious grin.

"Hell yeah."

Blade quickly got up and recovered from her injury. She doubled her speed and punched her knee in retaliation. Bernadette quickly lost her balance, and Blade continued kicking her in the head. When she felt Bernadette was planning to grab her feet, she recoiled. Both of them had blood dripping on their bodies. Sweats are flowing like waterfalls. Both were exhausted. But they continued to fight like wild animals. 

However, eventually, only one should be hailed as victorious. Blade caught Bernadette's legs. She grabbed it and slammed her head on the concrete. Bernadette's groaned in pain. Blade threw her last and finishing blow to Bernadette. But before her attack landed, Bernadette voluntarily surrendered. Blade stood up and looked down on her opponent with a victorious smile. The cheers got louder and noisier.

"You're not bad," Blade spoke honestly as she wiped the blood on her lips. 

Bernadette remained lying on the ground. "Mind if you help me get up?"

Blad laughed "Oi, you seem to have forgotten that I am still your enemy. It doesn't change the fact that I still want to wreck this place. " Her smile disappeared. 

"Now, I know why he's interested in you..." 

Blade's brow scrunched together. "Who are you talking about?"

"Who else?"

Blade stamped her feet into Bernadette's stomach until she groaned. "Speak."

"Him!" 

When Blade followed her fingers, she then discovered the dark and huge figure of a man from afar, watching them like a supreme being. It was Lorcan. Blade's blood boiled. She was not sure if he was staring at her, but Blade made a cunning expression.

So, he's just watching, huh?

"Bastard."

She then raised her middle finger, waving it at Lorcan.